Why We Do This

Just as I was about to leave home I took a call from a refugee family who are trying to bring their daughter to New Zealand. Five years ago this family fled Uganda and sought asylum in New Zealand. At the time their daughter, Anna, not her real name, was 24 years old but stuck in Rwanda. When she tried to leave she was arbitrarily detained, and even though she was released she was in constant fear for her life because of her mother's connections to people opposed to the Rwandan regime. Once in New Zealand Anna's parents applied for her to come to New Zealand to join her parents and siblings. No longer qualifying for entry to NZ as a dependent child her parents applied for a resident visa, which was declined based on her age. Last August Anna was again detained in Rwanda, and raped. When she was released, she was pregnant and desperate. The family took Anna's case to the Immigration Tribunal. The Waikato Refugee Whanau Reunification Trust has helped the family financially with their legal fees. The Catholic Diocese of Hamilton wrote a submission on Anna's behalf to the Immigration Tribunal. The Tribunal, while agreeing with the Immigration Department's decision has suggested that the Minister of Immigration might make an exception in this case because of the special circumstances. Anna's family wait with hope that their daughter will be able to join them in NZ.